Tsutomu lives alone in the mountains, writing essays, cooking Zen food with the vegetables he grows and the mushrooms he picks in the hills. His routine is happily disturbed when Machiko, his editor and love interest, occasionally visits. Tsutomu seems content with his daily life. On the other hand, he still hasn't let go of his wife's ashes, although she died 13 years ago.

The Zen Diary

The kids are alright. And by alright, we mean they might be aliens! When he meets three of them, Wao is told that he must return to their home planet, but is worried about leaving his feuding parents behind.